“President Anderson, why don’t you take a break? I can stay and keep watch,” Lauren said.

I shook my head. With Mom still in surgery, how could I rest?

“There’s something I need you to handle,” I said, looking at her. “Take back the branch company I gave to Emily’s parents, and make an official announcement about my divorce from her. Also, run a full investigation on Grant. I want the results within a week.”

“Yes, sir,” Lauren replied firmly before leaving.

After she left, I sat down on the bench outside the operating room, feeling drained. My phone kept ringing, relatives and friends calling to ask about Mom. But not one call came from Emily.

Three hours into Mom’s surgery, Grant posted on social media. He and Emily were sitting together in a bar booth, surrounded by his noisy friends, the table full of empty bottles.

Emily’s face was flushed, her eyes half-closed as she leaned against Grant’s chest.

I clicked like on the post. Before I could even lower my phone, Emily called.

I couldn’t describe what I felt. While my mother was fighting for her life in surgery, Emily hadn’t made a single call to ask about her, yet the moment it involved Grant, she called right away.

As soon as I answered, her sharp voice came through the phone.

“What’s with your like? So what if I had a few drinks with Grant and his friends?”

“Just because I married you, I can’t even choose who I drink with anymore?”

Before I could speak, Grant’s voice came from the background.

“Emily, don’t say that. He’s just worried about you.”

“Worried? He doesn’t trust me; he just wants to control me.”

“Alright, alright, Emily, stop. It’s late. I’ll take you home.”

“Go home? No way. We’re drinking till morning! Come on, keep drinking!”

“Haha, Emily, you’re amazing!”

“Emily, cheers to you!”

The noise from Grant’s friends filled the line.

“Brother-in-law, don’t be angry. I’ll talk to Emily. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she gets home on time tonight.”

Hearing that, I hung up without a word. Make sure she gets home on time? Whatever. I didn’t care anymore.

In the fifth hour of Mom’s surgery, Emily’s number showed up again.

“Brother-in-law, something’s wrong! Emily was in a car accident. Come quickly!”

My heart clenched, and I stood up before catching myself. I forced my voice to stay calm.

“If she’s in an accident, call the police and the insurance company.”

“Brother-in-law, she’s bleeding a lot! She keeps calling your name!”

Hearing that made my chest ache. No matter what had happened, my feelings for Emily weren’t something I could just erase.

I looked at the light above the operating room that was still on and called Lauren.

“Come stay at the hospital for me for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”

“Yes, President Anderson.”

After hanging up, I grabbed my car keys and rushed to the bar.

When I arrived, I saw Emily leaning against Grant, her face flushed as she laughed with his drunk friends.

I froze, then it hit me: she had lied to me, right when my mother was still in surgery. A cold feeling ran through me, followed by a wave of anger.

Grant smirked at Emily. “Emily, didn’t I tell you? In your brother-in-law’s heart, you’ll always come first. Even when his mom’s in surgery, one call from you and he comes running.”

“Hmm.”

Emily lifted her chin slightly, a look of satisfaction on her face.

“Good job.”

Around them, Grant’s friends burst out laughing.

“Emily, you lost. Shouldn’t you keep your promise?”

Grant looked at me, pretending to hesitate.

“That’s not really right, is it? Brother-in-law is here, and we were only joking.”

“What’s wrong with it? A bet’s a bet,” Emily said confidently, waving her hand.

“It’s just feeding a drink mouth-to-mouth. If he minds that, he’s too petty.”

After that, Emily didn’t pause. She took a sip of wine, turned, and pressed her lips against Grant’s.

“Nice! Emily always keeps her word, so daring!”

Grant’s friends clapped and cheered loudly.

In that moment, I felt like a fool standing there just for their amusement.

Emily pulled out a napkin, wiped her mouth, then waved her hand at me like brushing off a bug. “Alright, you can go now. Go back to the hospital.”

“Grant will send me home later.”

Hearing that, I took out my phone and transferred two hundred dollars to Emily.

She frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, I just thought it might be too tiring for him to take you all the way home. Why not find a nearby hotel instead? It’ll be easier for him to take care of you.”

As soon as I said that, Emily’s glass shattered in anger. She stood up suddenly and shouted, “Caleb, I’m warning you, don’t cross the line!”

“There’s nothing improper between Grant and me. Don’t accuse us! Apologize to both of us now!”

Grant quickly stepped forward, acting calm and trying to hold her back. “Emily, don’t be mad. Brother-in-law didn’t mean it.”

“He’s just filthy-minded. That’s why he sees everything as dirty.”

I let out a short, cold laugh. “You’re right. I am filthy-minded. But I’ve never seen a ‘pure’ brother-sister relationship feeding each other drinks mouth-to-mouth.”

That struck a nerve. Emily pointed at me, her face red with anger.

“Caleb, you’re crazy! Fine, didn’t you call me dirty? Then I’ll show you dirty!”

She turned and grabbed Grant’s hand. “Come on, let’s go get a room.”

Grant tried to calm things down. “Emily, don’t get upset. Don’t do something you’ll regret later.”

He said that, but his hand still held onto hers. Seeing her still angry, he looked at me.

“Brother-in-law, say something nice to her, okay?”

I didn’t move.

Emily’s face grew darker, her voice cold. “Caleb, you’re pushing me too far. Don’t regret it later.”

She pulled Grant toward the door, but stopped when she passed me. “Caleb, if you apologize right now, I can act like none of this happened.”

Before I could speak, Grant said, “Emily, he’s just upset. Let’s go. I’ll talk to him later.”

Emily hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Soon, the private room was empty, leaving me alone in silence.

I felt lightheaded and had to grab the wall to keep my balance. Then my phone rang, it was Lauren, her voice filled with relief.

“President Anderson, the surgery was a success! Your mother has regained consciousness.”

“Really? That’s great.” I let out a long breath, then asked, “What about the other matter I told you to handle?”

“Everything’s ready. Once you say the word, we can make the announcement.”

I pressed my hand against the wall, stood up straight, and said calmly, “Do it.”